google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: John R. Conrad

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Showing posts with label John R. Conrad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John R. Conrad. Show all posts

Jul 17, 2011

Sunday July 17, 2011 John R. Conrad

Theme: Wi-Fi Interference - Wi is replaced by Fi in each familiar phrase.

24A. Angler's daydream? : (W)FISHFUL THINKING

33A. Participate in a food fight? : FLIP ONE'S (W)FIG. The first letter F shouldn't be bothersome, as the theme is Wi to Fi conversion. Same with the extra Fs in 83A and 82D.

51A. Ophthalmologist's diagnosis? : EYE(W)FITNESS NEWS

83A. Auto design now, vis-à-vis the 1950s? : NO - (W)FIN SITUATION

101A. Offshore WBA venue? : ISLE OF (W)FIGHT

111A. Round up a passel of stoolies? : CATCH FORTY (W)FINKS. I like "a passel of" description.

4D. Bulldozer specification? : (W)FILL POWER

82D. Unrestrained Kentucky Derby entrant? : FREE (W)FILLY

Not familiar with John R Conrad. Cruciverb shows he had 2 puzzles with LA Times in 2006. Welcome back!

I like the theme. Grokked the gimmick earlier on. When I read the title, I thought some Fi's will be changed to Wi's, some Wi's will be changed to Fi's. That would be a little chaotic, but more fun. Yes?

Across:

1. Cram : STUFF. First thought: JAM IN

6. "Forget it, I'm just ranting" : IGNORE ME. Didn't come to me readily.

14. Rub : ABRADE

20. Nobelist Curie : MARIE

21. Finely worked fabrics : BROCADES. Like this. Bill G's wife should know something about that fabric.

22. Daytime TV fare : SOAPER

23. Slant : ANGLE

26. Adler of the stage : STELLA. Not familiar with this name. Would be great if it's clued as "A Streetcar Named Desire" related, since we also have 75A. Kowalski portrayer : BRANDO (Marlon) in the grid. Stanley Kowalski.

28. __ Tomé : SAO

29. Rial spender : OMANI

30. Door fastener : HASP

31. N, in many org. names : NATL

39. Ending with switch : EROO. Switcheroo. And 88A. Ranch ending : ERO. Ranchero.

40. Second: Abbr. : ASST

41. Amount to make do with : LESS. Tricky clue.

42. Have a party, say : HOST

43. Implemented, as an idea : RAN WITH

45. Subatomic particle : MUON. This word just looks so wrong.

46. Hot thing on a horse? : TIP. Oh, horse racing.

49. '90s Indian prime minister : RAO. No idea. I do know Rai though, as in the stunning Aishwarya Rai. It seems that Rai, Rao and Raja are all variants of some royal surname.

50. Jawbreaker rock genre : EMO

55. Guru's residence : ASHRAM

58. Dotted line, at times: Abbr. : PERF

59. Delights : ELATES

60. Pacific Coast, e.g.: Abbr. : HWY

61. Whirl : GYRATE

63. How author Charles Reade is named? : APTLY. We've seen this clue before.

65. Cardinal : MAIN. What did you have in mind when reading the clue?

68. Sneak : SIDLE

70. Yeses, to Yves : OUIs.

71. Corporate identifier : LOGO

72. Bête __ : NOIRE

73. Shrek, e.g. : OGRE

74. Vaughan Williams contemporary : HOLST (Gustave). "The Planets" composer. Nailed it, Jayce?

77. Enforcers, with "the" : LAW

78. Amplified : ON MIKE

80. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)

81. Compensate for : OFFSET

87. "__ the fields ..." : O'ER

89. Verb addition? : OSE. Verbose.

90. Salacious stuff : SMUT

91. It's tapped to make syrup : TREE SAP

95. Natural successor : HEIR

97. Go over hastily : SCAN

98. Kick (out) : DRUM

100. Jennifer of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) : EHLE. Total stranger. How do you pronounce Ehle?

105. Bit : IOTA

106. Minnesota __ : FATS

107. Way through a fence : STILE

108. Apple for the teacher? : MAC. Why? Teachers mostly use Mac?

109. __ training : TOILET

118. Loud noise : BLARE

119. Dance in 3/4 time : MINUET

120. Aromatic : REDOLENT

121. "__ Nothin'": "Oklahoma!" song : ALL ER

122. Main road : ARTERY

123. Evaluated : ASSESSED

124. Twosomes : DYADs

Down:

1. Lollapalooza : SMASHER. Lollapalooza is a strange word.

2. Clarion blast : TANTARA

3. Pushes : URGES ON

5. React emotionally to : FEEL

6. Pugilists' org. : IBF (International Boxing Federation)

7. Mill inputs : GRISTs

8. Dietary restriction : NO SALT

9. Figura de __: Spanish ice-skater's move : OCHO. Figure eight.

10. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF

11. End of a dean's address : EDU

12. Brooks of "The Producers" : MEL

13. Bars at the bar : ESTOPS. Do you actually use this in your work, Lemonade/Hahtool?

14. Mongolian, e.g. : ASIAN

15. "__ chance, Monsieur!" : BONNE

16. Debonair : RAKISH

17. Bee: Pref. : API

18. Animal house : DEN. I've never seen "Animal House".

19. 0.0000001 joules : ERG. I bet constructor/Rich and his test-solvers had to check twice to make sure they got the right numbers of 0.

25. Med. care provider : HMO

27. Gray area? : ANATOMY

32. __ Wednesday : ASH

33. Lightweight news story, say : FLUFF

34. First of 13 popes : LEO I

35. "__ It Romantic?" : ISN'T

36. Roman war galley features : FORESAILS

37. Witness's words : I SAW. And 47. Words to an old chap : I SAY

38. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs

44. Candidate's concern : IMAGE

45. Least palpable, as a touch : MEREST

46. Expose : TELL ON

48. L.A. hours : PST

51. Shoulder ornament : EPAULET. I can never spell this word correctly.

52. Nepalese legends : YETIs

53. Bottom line : NET GAIN

54. Fictional captain who is the son of a raja : NEMO. Inferable.

55. "Gotcha!" : AH SO

56. Draft : SWIG

57. Swift watercraft : HYDROFOIL New word to me.

62. Novice : ROOKIE

63. Even though : ALBEIT

64. Brazil's __ Alegre : PORTO

66. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

67. Small salamander : NEWT

69. Director Riefenstahl : LENI. Always associate her with Hitler.

72. Like some credit cards : NO FEE

74. Blow off steam : HISS

76. Unassertive sort : DOORMAT

79. 6 on a handset : MNO

80. Fall on the set, perhaps : STUNT

83. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand : NEHI

84. Blast furnace input : OREs

85. Its academy is in New London, Conn. : USCG. Good to know.

86. Asian nursemaid : AMAH

91. "Tsk!" : TUT

92. Clinton cabinet member Donna : SHALALA

93. Didn't leave alone : ALTERED

94. Troubles : PESTERS

96. Get out of trouble : RESCUE

97. Communications word after Romeo : SIERRA. NATO alphabet.

98. Sawyer and Keaton : DIANEs

99. Coach of Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" : ROCKNE (Knute). Knute is a popular Norwegian name.

102. Additional : OTHER

103. Grant's bill : FIFTY. I don't think I've used a fifty-dollar bill.

104. "Alice" waitress : FLO

108. Wire measures : MILs

110. O.T. book after Amos : OBAD. Stumped me. Obadiah.

111. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA

112. Go public with : AIR

113. Big bang cause : TNT

114. French possessive : TES. Your.

115. Cloth meas. : YDs

116. Them, often : FOE

117. Criterion: Abbr. : STD

Answer grid.

Alright, look at these adorable "Hard to Believe" photos. Tell me who that boy is. He looks so pensive on the first picture. (Added later: It's Splynter.)

C.C.